Many hospital patients require a great deal of equipment associated with their treatment, specifically very ill patients. This equipment may include infusion pumps, intravenous (IV) solutions, critical care carts, cardiac monitors or the like. A common problem in hospitals is transporting this equipment when it is operatively connected to the patient, along with the patient over long distances through the hospital, across elevator thresholds or around hallway corners or the like. Frequently, several nurses or other care providers are required to handle the transport of the patient and the associated equipment. Nurses are required to push the bed containing the patient while other nurses push and/or control the IV stands or other support units. The number of people involved, stability of some of the equipment support units during rolling movement and movement past obstacles such as elevator thresholds have all combined to make it troublesome and difficult for the transport of the patient and connected equipment while moving the patient about the hospital.
In addition, the complexity and size of some of the support unit equipment now used for patient care results in instability of the equipment during transport and use thereof. As patient care equipment increases in size, weight, and variety, a support unit has long been needed which will conveniently and safely allow for the secure support of the equipment, its easy maneuverability for the convenience of the patient and care provider and its easy attachment and use during times of transport when the equipment is operably connected to the patient. Several techniques are currently utilized for moving patients and the related patient support equipment. As previously described, one such technique is the use of additional nurses or care providers to individually transport the associated equipment and support units. The problems associated with this technique include increased personnel requirements and the potential for interference and/or tipping of the individual units.
Another known technique is tethering the support unit to the hospital bed. Known tethering devices allow considerable motion of the towed support unit or object with respect to the hospital bed during transport. For example, there should be no movement of an IV set-up relative to the patient on the hospital bed, gurney or wheelchair to avoid disrupting the delivery of the fluid to the patient. It is important that the two vehicles be moved substantially as one unit. On the other hand, it is also advantageous that the support unit, IV stand or other towed vehicle be movable on demand by the care provider relative to the hospital bed without being disconnected therefrom. Frequently, access to the patient on the hospital bed is required during transport or while the support unit is attached to the bed and the access to the patient may require repositioning the support unit, IV stand or the like relative to the bed.
It is also important that the connecting or towing support unit be easily attached to and detached from the hospital bed, gurney, or wheelchair. The attachment/detachment of the support unit must be easily accomplished by a care provider without the requirement for complicated attachment mechanisms and difficult and time consuming manual manipulation of the attachment/detachment mechanism. Preferably, the support unit should be connected/disconnected from the hospital bed or the like without direct manual manipulation so that the care provider's hands are free to tend to the patient or maneuver the hospital bed and support unit combination during transport.